Just a Game
by Kage NoTenshi
Summary: What if the Big Five's men succeed in unplugging the pods of the duelists stuck in Seto's virtual world? *complete*
1. Unplugged

First and foremost, a gigantic arigatou to my beta reader Wingleader Sora Jade, who helped me revise this, and to my not-quite-yami, who does everything else but the writing (and doesn't get nearly enough thanks for it, as she'll gladly tell me…)

Other notes: This is when they're stuck in Seto's virtual world, but after that it diverges from the story. It's a "what if" storyline based on the question, "What if the Big Five's men had succeeded in unplugging the pods?"

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however, own a suspiciously Otogi-like dice earring (yes, only one.) It goes everywhere with me. *^_^*

Just a Game…

"Please wake up, Yuugi," pleaded Anzu, pressing all her weight against the door. "If you don't, you might not be able to wake up at all!"

Honda was too busy barricading the door to agree. Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Mokuba remained motionless in their virtual pods. They had been there only minutes, but already it felt too long. The pounding on the other side of the door grew heavier, matching the frantic beats of her heart.

*

Within the game, Yami and Seto were also struggling, but against a different adversary. Seto barely heard the giant dragon's laughter, stunned as he was by the sudden loss of Mai, Jounouchi, and most of all, Mokuba. His heart was swearing vengeance, but his mind coldly told him there was nothing he could do. He glanced at Yami, whose eyes were also glittering with rage. "Bring out your Blue Eyes Ultimate, Kaiba," he said quietly, a power flowing in his voice. 

"But…"

"Do it."

Reluctantly, Seto complied. With Mokuba gone, there was nothing left to live for; the Big Five had finally broken his spirit. Seto watched in slight awe as Yami combined the dragon with his Chaos Soldier, winning the game in one brilliant stroke. They stood silently, still taking in the victory mixed with the bitter dregs of tragedy. They turned to look at each other, as if to confirm it had all really happened. Just then the floor vanished from under them, dropping them into oblivion. 

They landed suddenly on stone and picked themselves up to see Princess Adina smiling at them. "You have saved us," she said, gratitude shining in her large eyes. Seto was reminded painfully of Mokuba, and had to turn away. "But there is more."

Seto looked back at her.

"You have all suffered too much for anyone to bear," she told them, her figure shifting and elongating gracefully. 

"Holy Elf!" gasped Yami.

"A spell?" questioned Seto, searching his memory for something like this in the programming. 

Light gleamed on the ground and suddenly everyone was back again, apparently sleeping but definitely alive. One by one Jounouchi, Mai, and Mokuba stirred and opened their eyes, gazing about as they tried to get their bearings. 

"And now," the elf said with a smile, "I will send you all home."

Unexpectedly, the world around them flickered, darkening and then returning to normal. "What was that?" asked Jounouchi, looking around. "It didn't feel good."

"I know," said Seto, his eyes narrowing. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

*

Back in reality, Anzu was struggling against the strong arms restraining her, sobbing with fury and concern. "Stay away," she shrieked at the men pouring into the room. "They never did anything to you!"

"I'm just following orders," replied the biggest man with an unpleasant smirk. 

She watched in silent horror as he knelt down and pulled the many wires from their plugs in the wall. The lights on the virtual pods dimmed and faded into nothingness, and their occupants remained motionless and limp. The room went quiet as the last hum of electronics faded.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Anzu half-screamed, breaking away and rushing towards the pods. "Yuugi! Jounouchi! Speak to me! Wake up!"

"They won't."

She turned and glared at the man. He merely shrugged and walked out the door, the others following him. As the last man scurried after the others from a back room, she stood and went over to Honda's limp form, stretched out on the floor. He had taken on most of the guards when they forced their way in but was unconscious within three minutes. He stirred at her touch and raised his head, wiping away the blood that trickled from his mouth. "Did they…"

She nodded, the tears starting afresh. "We lost all of them," she murmured.

*

Within the game, the elf spread her arms wide, chanting another spell to return them to their dimension. Yami breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be leaving the game. The elf's magic swirled and shimmered, gathering to make a doorway…and nothing happened. 

"Why isn't it working?" snapped Seto abruptly to the elf. 

She looked at her hands, confusion written over her face. "I…don't know. It shouldn't do this!"

"I know what it is," said Mokuba gravely. "We've been unplugged."

There was an awful moment of silence as that sunk in. 

"We're trapped here?" asked Jounouchi incredulously. "Trapped in some crazy game built by _him_??" He jerked his head in Kaiba's direction.

Kaiba himself was in denial. "It shouldn't have happened like this," he was saying. "If we were unplugged, the game should have stopped altogether. The emergency coding should release us immediately."

"But," Yami put in, "remember how the programming changed? Maybe they accidentally mixed something up in this area too."

"Sure beats getting stuck in the dark," commented Mai.

"Yeah," agreed Jounouchi.

"So what will happen now, Kaiba?" asked Yami. "It's your game."

Kaiba shook his head. "Not anymore. I have no idea what else they've done to this. There is no way I can predict what will happen any more. Even the landscape has altered slightly."

"What are you talking about?" asked the Holy Elf, transforming back to Adina.

"Everything here is an illusion. It's all just a game," said Seto quietly.

Mokuba opened his mouth to protest his older brother's bluntness, but Adina didn't seem bothered in the least. She merely smiled at the older Kaiba. "What do you mean? We've lived here as far as anyone can remember. We have a history, a culture. I'm talking to you right now. How can we not exist?"

"I…created you," said Seto, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. "You're not even alive…"

Adina smiled and walked up to him, grasping his hands with her own small ones. "I _am_ here, Kaiba Seto. Can't you feel my hands? I think, I talk, I exist."

"But…how…?"

"Since you cannot go home," she said, changing the subject, "I hereby invite you to become one of us and to dwell here!"


	2. Nagusami

She turned to the heroes (and heroine) as the crowd roared its approval. Mai bit her lip and Yami looked concerned. Jounouchi wasn't paying attention, but flirting with a pretty girl in the crowd. The others, though, obviously didn't like being trapped. There was a tense silence as they tried to decide, but Mai finally sighed. "Well," she said, curling a lock of golden hair around one manicured finger, "considering the treatment we've gotten, I wouldn't mind hanging out here for just a little while longer."

"Not to mention the great food," added Jounouchi, walking back over to them.

"It's settled then," said Adina with great delight.

She provided them all with beautiful, comfortable rooms in the castle, each with a view of the countryside below. Seto was the only one unimpressed. Horrified by this unexpected turn of events, he locked himself in his room and sat staring out the window. He did not emerge for lunch or dinner and only allowed Mokuba into the room. The younger Kaiba emerged minutes later, looking defeated. "He barely even talks to me," he told the others. "He just sits there, sort of in shock. I hope he'll be all right."

Adina nodded, worry written all over her face. "I'll have someone bring up some food for him later. I hope it's not our hospitality bothering him."

"It's nothin' like that," Jounouchi assured her. "Your food is great!"

"And it was very generous of you to give us rooms too," added Yuugi. "They're very nice."

"And the clothes! You guys have style here," put in Mai.

Adina smiled a little sadly. "Thank you all."

Mokuba followed them. _I hope this doesn't mean Niisama won't be able to find any way to bring us back. That's what everyone is counting on; they're sure he'll come up with something._

Seto listened to their footfalls receding down the hallway and covered his face with his hands. This was all terribly wrong; it wasn't supposed to be this way at all. There was no way at all that everything could be suddenly real, but everything around seemed to have a life and breath of its own. He had wanted that, of course, to make the best virtual reality game mankind had ever known. But now…

A soft tap on the door made him jump. Caught off guard, he found himself automatically answering, "Come in," before he remembered he had been telling everyone to go away for the past three hours.

A girl of about his age peeped in timidly. She was dressed plainly and carried a steaming tray in her hands. "Excuse me," she apologized, "but her highness thought you might want some food."

"Not really," he sighed, "but bring it in."

She obeyed and put it on a small wooden table. "I wanted to thank you for defeating the dragon," she said softly. "We are all very grateful."

He looked at her, studying her gentle green eyes and dark reddish hair. "What is your name?" he asked, though he already knew. He could have answered his question with her.

"Nagusami."

A shiver ran through him. This had been one of the characters for a side quest. He had spent more time than usual on her, shaping her personality and history. She wasn't supposed to be a servant in the castle, though; he guessed that that had been altered with the rest of the game. 

"I am, perhaps happier at the dragon's death than most," she confided. "Last year it took my older brother."

Seto remembered with a pang of almost guilt how he had created her and given her a broken family on purpose. He had wanted a character sort of like him, much the way Adina had been for Mokuba. He had softened her a little, though, instead of keeping her icy cold. And he hadn't given her his looks. 

"Is it frightening," she asked, "to hang by your wrists, waiting for your death?"

Seto was surprised by the question. "It's not too bad," he said, bending the truth for her sake. "It's just very quiet."

"They usually choose the sacrifices by whomever they can get," she said. "My brother and his best friend were the ones taken last year." She wiped her eyes. "His friend looked a lot like you."

Seto stared. He hadn't gone _that_ much into detail when he made her past, and he most certainly had not drawn up a face for the friend. "I'm…sorry," he said politely.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry to bother you. Such great heroes should not be bothered with a girl's trivial feelings."

He normally would have been inclined to agree, but he found he couldn't. There was something strangely intimate about being face to face with one's own creation, something personal about knowing their every facet. He was half in awe of her, simply because she was the work of his hands, living and breathing before him. "I understand," he replied quietly. "It's very hard to lose a brother."

She nodded and then busied herself pulling the cover off the tray. There was a bowl of steaming fragrant soup and a glass of some unfamiliar liquid, semi-sweet and refreshing. Seto suddenly realized her was hungry. "Eat," she said gently, bringing it all over. "It will do you good. It helps to calm nerves wonderfully."

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Sure." She started heading for the door. "Oh, and if you want more or anything, ring for me. I'll probably be attending to you for at least the first week or so. The castle is in an uproar trying to prepare for the festivals."

"Festivals?"

"Of course. We have to celebrate the Mystic Dragon's downfall!"

She was gone, slipping noiselessly into the darkening hallway.


	3. Denial

Seto ate his dinner in silence, watching the sunset from his window. He stacked the dishes neatly on the table when he was done and proceeded to inspect his new surroundings. The walls were covered in cheerful tapestries depicting harvests and celebrations. A large wardrobe stood at one end of the room, and he found it to be filled with medieval-type clothing, all of which looked surprisingly comfortable. There was a set of shelving, filled with peculiar curiosities, and of course the carved table and chairs. Against another wall was a large canopied bed with dark blue curtains hanging regally down on all sides. 

He nodded with approval as he slipped off his trench coat and draped it over a chair. This would be adequately comfortable for the time being. With a small sigh, he pulled back the sheets and went to bed, wondering exactly what tomorrow would bring.

*

Anzu threw down the mass of wires in unspeakable frustration. "How does he stand spending his free time on this?" she asked. 

Honda shrugged. "Kaiba was always a little…different."

She nodded wearily. "Hey, Honda, why don't you check that back room? I thought I saw one of the guards coming out of there."

"Okay." He returned seconds later. "You won't believe this, but Mai's in there. And they unplugged her pod too."

"Mai?? That snob from Duelist Kingdom?" Anzu stopped and thought about her own words for a moment. "Well, she did sort of have a change of heart later on. Still, you'd better work on those wires. I'll keep trying to figure out these."

"Got it."

Anzu turned back to the plugs, her weary fingers struggling to work with the delicate wires as fatigue blurred her vision.

*

To everyone but Seto's greatest delight, the festivals were scheduled to take place in a week. Everywhere they went was a frenzy of joyous activity and laughter. They were constantly being recognized too, and swarms of people would gather just to gaze at the great heroes. Jounouchi and Mai absolutely drank in the attention. Yuugi was a little shyer, but he and Mokuba stuck together and took in the sights. Only Seto was not savoring the triumph. He passed through the crowds with a cold, detached air. His manner demanded respect, and children would fall silent when he walked by. 

They didn't deserve his recognition, and he didn't want theirs. None of this was real; it was all just something from his imagination. Those playing youngsters were all just data and numbers. That ornate, splashing fountain was nothing more than computer trickery. 

Annoyed, he walked back to the castle and took his usual place by the window after ringing for Nagusami. She arrived quickly, without an obtrusive entrance. He liked that in women, especially servants. He had fired several maids over that character trait; something he could, of course, easily afford to do. "Just a cup of coffee," he muttered as she walked in. "No sugar, no milk."

She cocked her head. "Coffee?"

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. They hadn't invented coffee in this medieval environment. And he really could have used an espresso right then. "Never mind."

"Anything else I can bring instead?"

He considered that momentarily. "What was that drink you brought with the soup last night?"

"Kuin."

Seto nodded. Of course. Hadn't he programmed that in himself? "Just bring some of that."

She left and returned with a pitcher and a crystal glass. "You seem upset," she observed as she poured the orangey-red liquid for him. "Do you mind if I ask what's wrong?"

Seto pressed his lips together, but found he couldn't hold it back. "It's just that none of this is real!" he burst out. 


	4. Clash and Peace

She studied his face, confused.

"It's all something I created, just a game, but I made it too well."

"I…I don't understand."

He took a sip of kuin and tried to decide how to explain it. "It's like…I'm from another world. In my world, we have the ability to create prototypes, so to speak, of other worlds that exist only in our imaginations."

"Magic?" she breathed, her eyes wide.

He shook his head. "No. Technology - but I see you're not familiar with that term," he added quickly, seeing her expression. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, nobody's really been able to walk through those worlds and have them react to anything that the explorer does. Not until now. Mine is the first." There was not a little pride in his voice.

"So," she said softly, "we are all part of that world, all of us who were here when you and your companions came."

"Yes."

"And therefore, you say we don't really exist."

"I…well, yes."

"Basically what happened is you played God and then found out that you aren't all-powerful. Is that right?"

Seto's eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher whether that comment had been _meant_ to sting. He had always prided himself in the near omnipotence he had gained within a matter of mere years. Or, that he _thought_ he had gained. This irked him, a nagging little irritation. He had created Nagusami to be intelligent, of course, but he had never realized how perceptive he had made her to be. Perhaps he had put too much of himself into her; he certainly had never expected to exchange banter with her.

Well, he'd show her exactly how much he could shoot back at her. He was her creator, after all. "At least," he said, "I have had success in whatever world I go. I'm not a servant." It was low, and he knew it, not the sophisticated rebuttals he usually used; but her barb had been so unexpected. He hadn't stopped to think what he sounded like.

Crimson flamed in her cheeks. He had given her his longing for power, and that had been the perfect comeback. "Success?" she snapped, completely forgetting her place. "If what your companion Jounouchi said was true, you'd have been eaten if it hadn't been for the help of the others."

That went deeper than anything she had said before. If there was anything he cherished more than power, it was independence. For a _servant_ to point out that he had needed rescuing was nearly unthinkable. He opened his mouth to spit out something malicious, but her face stopped him.

She was biting her lip, blazing with fury, but tears spilled silently down her face. He had forgotten that while his losses had been glazed over and hidden away, her grief was still relatively fresh. She hadn't had time to build the icy shell around her heart to hide and block pain, making her highly vulnerable.

For a moment, emotionless Kaiba Seto felt regret and more than a little guilt. But he would never admit that. Turning his gaze out the window, he waved her away. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, _sir_." The reply was bitter and overly formal. He heard her turn and walk silently out.

*

The light breeze stirred Jounouchi's thick blond hair as he stepped softly out onto the balcony. "Mai?"

She turned around quickly, startled, and then relaxed. "Oh, it's you, Jounouchi."

"What're you doin' out here? It's late."

"I could ask you the same question."

He scuffed his toe on the tile a little. "Well, I was here earlier today, and I thought it would give a real pretty view of the stars."

"Why, Jounouchi, I'm surprised. I didn't know you were part romantic."

He blushed. "I-I'm not."

"Whatever. As for me," she shot him an impish glance, "I don't have a set bedtime, and I felt like staying up tonight."

He nodded. "I like the castle."

"Me too," she agreed. "I can't wait for the festival."

"Yeah. Kaiba don't seem so excited, though."

"You're right." She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold, but her face said clearly that she was enjoying the breeze. 

"Maybe he don't like it here. Maybe he likes where we used to be better," Jounouchi hypothesized. 

Mai's eyes went distant. "That's right," she murmured. "We used to be somewhere else."

"Yeah…I had a sister, I think."

Mai cocked her head, trying to remember. "It was so long ago," she sighed. "It all feels like it was a dream."

"Was it long ago?" asked Jounouchi.

"It might have been yesterday."

"Maybe. But it does feel like it was a dream."

"Maybe it was. Look around, Jounouchi. How can this not be reality?"

He ran his hand along the railing. "It feels solid. Maybe we _did_ imagine all that stuff before."

"So many maybes," commented Mai, stepping closer. "I know for sure that I like this life, though."

"Me too." Jounouchi realized suddenly that his shoulder was nearly brushing Mai's as they stood side by side. He didn't mind.


	5. Forgotten But Not Forgiven

The next morning, Seto did not want to leave his room. He was brooding again, still trying to accept everything that had happened. He also wanted to have an excuse to have Nagusami bring him breakfast, to see if she was still angry, but no one guessed that. She entered with the tray, but refused to meet his eyes. She laid out the food on his table and turned to go, but stopped. Slowly, she walked back and then did something very brave and completely unexpected. She apologized.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, sounding strained, "about last night, you know. I lost my temper, and I wasn't thinking about your feelings."

"My feelings?" He certainly hadn't thought about hers.

"Well, yeah. It's been hard on you, being stuck here. You haven't taken it like your friends did."

"They're not my friends," he said, though mostly to himself.

She didn't hear. "So, just, I'm sorry."

Looking into her eyes, Seto realized how hard it was for her to be saying those words. He knew what kind of pride she held. Something inside him melted a little. "Me too, I guess," he muttered reluctantly. "I said some things I shouldn't have. Sorry."

She smiled as she poured him a glass of kuin. 

It hit Seto after she had left that he had just apologized to cleverly constructed, inanimate data. Eating his breakfast, he mulled over that concept. Little by little, she seemed to grow ever more real, almost as if she had come from his world too. 

He blinked, putting down his fork. Yes, there had been another world, but it all seemed rather distant. A feeling prodded the back of his mind, insisting that forgetting the other place was a bad thing. But he couldn't remember it well, either. It all seemed like it had been…a dream.

*

Yami watched worriedly as Yuugi scampered down every street he found, gazing at all the appearing decorations and laughing with the children he met. It wasn't that in particular that worried Yami, on the contrary, Yuugi seemed almost happier than Yami could remember him ever being. It was just…well, the first night trapped in the virtual world, Yuugi had cried himself to sleep, dreadfully homesick and missing his beloved grandpa. He had talked of home constantly over breakfast, but as the day wore on, the chatter faded. The next night, Yuugi had gone to sleep rather quickly.

Now Yami could barely sense any memory of the real world in his Hikari, if there was any at all. Yuugi seemed as at home here as if he had known it all his life. He remembered names well and by now could talk with many of the people as if they were old friends. 

And Yami realized that he also didn't have any desire to return to… He stopped to think, concentration wrinkling his brow. Wherever it was they had come from. That _other_ place.

~Sorry, it's a little short but I had to have one cliff hanger. Tee-hee ^.~


	6. The Puppy Jounouchi

All worries were thrown completely to the wind, though, when the time for the festivities came. Everyone explored the town, laughing and gawking like children at the merriment. They spread out, sampling the foods and watching as the citizens took advantage of the revelry to show off unusual talents. Mai had to drag Jounouchi from the spot where he stood, watching awed as a juggler managed more objects than either of them cared to bother to count. Jounouchi didn't mind, though. He would have forgotten lunch otherwise. 

Nagusami was just about to leave, when she heard the familiar bell. More than a little annoyed, she put her plans on hold and went to Seto's quarters. He was standing by the window as usual, was not wearing his usual dark trench coat. "Yes?" she asked, in a hurry to be off.

"I was wondering," he said slowly, "if you would be willing to show me around the city."

This request took her by surprise. "I…well…"

He turned to make eye contact.

"Maybe," she said slowly, an idea coming to her, "but on two conditions."

"Fair enough."

"One, you can't be solemn all the time. You have to smile and enjoy yourself or it's no fun."

"I'll…try," he said reluctantly.

"And two, you are my equal for the day. No putting on airs or I'll lose you down an alleyway. Trust me, I know the city well enough to do that easily. You'd never find me."

"All right," he consented, and followed her as she skipped down the hallway and out into the festival. They met two of her friends at the fountain in the middle of town, both of whom were a little giggly at the idea of spending the day with one of the kingdom's greatest heroes. They all set out right away, and there was plenty to see. 

Nagusami persuaded Seto to try thirteen variations of kuin (all different colors), seven pastries, four meat pies, nine different kinds of native fruit, and two cakes. He protested, of course, that he could never hope to eat all that, but she shushed him. "You have to at least take a sample and tell me what you think would taste good for dinner in the castle," she told him firmly. He chose them all. 

They found Jounouchi and Mai down the street away, Jounouchi still stuffing his face, and Mai inspecting the beaded shawls at a nearby stand. She made a few teasing remarks about Seto spending the day with Nagusami's all-girl gang, but was generally amicable. 

They ran into more of Nagusami's friends, who were watching Yami take on an old man at a tricky-looking board game while Yuugi sat on a barrel and watched from the side. The old man was obviously a veteran, while Yami kept asking for clarification on the rules.

Yami, of course, was winning. 

Nagusami stayed and watched a while with her friends, but Seto occupied himself with observing those passing by in street. The game held little interest for him, as he had designed it himself somewhere back in the _other_ place. 

Next they found Mokuba and Adina. The two children had changed into street clothes and had managed to win a puppy at some game booth. It followed them loyally, jumping at anything and everything that moved and yapping loudly. "Call it Jounouchi," suggested Seto with a smile.

Mokuba laughed. "He'll be furious." He looked at Adina. "What do you think?"

Adina gave a mischievous grin that was much unlike her usual, quiet self. "Oh, call him that. I want to see what our great hero does."

As the afternoon wore on, Seto, Nagusami, and her friends arrived at the large central fountain to find a group of musicians playing a lively tune. All around, couples danced; and children scampered rhythmically underfoot, laughing and shouting delightedly. Groups of girls joined hands and formed spinning human rings, giving off the fragrance of fresh-picked blossoms. Others wandered about, presenting random bystanders with bouquets of wildflowers. One suddenly dropped a large bunch into Seto's hands and ran off, leaving him bewildered. 


	7. Remembering?

Nagusami laughed at his expression and then did a slight curtsey. "Come dance with me, Seto," she urged.

"But…I…"

"Oh, let one of my friends hold the flowers. Come dance."

He merely stared at her, looking at her with a comic sort of horror all over his face.

"Remember, you're a commoner for today. You can throw all your dignity to the winds!"

"I don't know how to dance," he mumbled.

"Don't worry," she assured him as she led him out into the middle of it all. "All you have to do is let the music tell you what to do."

"There's no words."

"Silly," she laughed, but not unkindly, "you don't listen with your ears when you dance. You listen with your heart."

It was a little slow starting, but Seto caught on quickly. He found he actually enjoyed the exhilaration of the perfect unison in well-executed motion. His hands felt awkward in hers at first, but they soon found just the right way to fit together. It wasn't a slow ballroom dance, but a lively tune that caught him up and made him part of it all. The pace kept it from becoming uncomfortable, too, because the music did not demand that they stand close together and just sway. That was the last thing he wanted to get stuck doing. He watched her laughing face as the world spun by, saw how her reddish-brown hair flowed and her green eyes laughed. 

Their dance was suddenly interrupted as the puppy they had newly named Jounouchi came racing through the crowd chasing a small lizard. The dog darted right in front of Seto's feet, tripping him. Mokuba and Adina arrived just in time to see the elder Kaiba fall in a rather undignified manner straight into the center fountain. He gave a shout (the water was cold), and started up, but Adina hugged barking Jounouchi to her with a bemused expression that informed Seto he would not be able to do anything to it. A voice in the back of his head chuckled as Nagusami helped him from the water. _The fountain's just data, eh?_

He didn't remember clearly what this "data" was, but a feeling of annoyance flooded through him at being teased by his own sub consciousness. _Oh, shut up,_ he told it. 

Seto wanted to go back to the castle after that, but Nagusami insisted that the bright sun would dry him off in no time. She even helped him wring out his trench coat. 

The rest of the day went like the dance: in a whirl of exhilaration and color, where everything was new and exciting. Seto found that it was almost easier to be a normal person, and lot more pleasant when he wasn't extremely uptight. Nagusami's two friends had mysteriously slipped away during the dance, leaving the two to wander the festival as a couple. And to his slight shock, Seto found he didn't mind. She brought a new light to everything, always looking at things like he did, but with a twist. 


	8. Game Over

The sun was nearly gone by the time they returned to the castle. Nagusami was about to walk Seto to his room when he stopped her. "Equal today, remember?" he said with a slight smile. "That means that I, as the man, should see the lady to her room."

He was back to his usual self the next day, though, withdrawn and detached. Nagusami didn't mind. She was starting to learn to see past his surface personality to what was beneath. Besides, he _was_ starting to act a little nicer, she thought. A year passed, and she was sure she was right. 

Seto was not the only one affected by the passage of time, though. Everyone was slowly settling into new lives, finding out things about themselves that no one had noticed before. Jounouchi and Mai seemed to grow closer, even as their memories of the past world faded even more. They still bickered and teased each other from time to time, but it was in good humor and almost seemed a sort of bonding ritual. 

Mokuba, speedily approaching his teens, found that Adina's flaw of being a girl wasn't quite as much of a problem as he had thought before. Neither even considered anything like a romance for a long time, but they planned various inventions together or wreaked havoc in the castle. Adina quickly conquered her timid streak and even dared to climb the high parapets of the castle, Mokuba in tow. Seto once caught his little brother walking slowly down one of the less-used corridors of the castle, holding hands with the princess. The couple parted quickly when they caught sight of the older Kaiba, both blushing furiously. Seto, however, did nothing but smile slightly. He still swore (though not so strongly as before, Nagusami noticed) that he would remain forever a bachelor, but he had no intention of begrudging his brother the joys and trials of falling in love. 

Seto and Yami, with their tactical skills, became advisors of the country, but Seto's heart was still in creating. He attempted to start a high-tech corporation like he had run once, but gave up when he realized how primitive the available tools were. He dabbled in architecture instead, delighting in the way the pieces of buildings fit together to make up one magnificent structure. Nagusami, too, had a knack for coming up with new and clever ideas. The two often stayed up late, poring over a blueprint by candlelight and revising over and over again.

Yami, on the other hand, was perfectly content with his powerful position, but his Hikari pursued a more peaceful occupation. Remembering how difficult it had been to procure transportation across the desert, he started a small Koke ("Niwatori" for you dub watchers) farm. It flourished quite well, much to Yuugi's excitement. He did not, however, add any monsters to his deck, opting instead to keep it as it had always been. The others still had their cards, he was sure, but the land was peaceful and they had no need for fighting. 

After five years, nobody thought much, if at all, of the world they had left behind. It came as no surprise to anyone when Jounouchi and Mai were married and started a shop of their own. It doubled as a small restaurant and clothes shop; a compromise between the spouses' interests. 

No one, however, was expecting Seto to marry Nagusami a year later. But they weren't exactly surprised, either. The couple still lived in the castle because of Seto's side job of advisor. They were returning together from a construction site when something unusual happened. Nagusami tripped on the stone steps and scraped her shin before her husband could catch her. A look of pain and surprise crossed her eyes as she quickly placed her hand on the wound.

"Are you all right?" Seto asked gently.

"Just fine," she said. "A moment, please."

"Let me see. Is it bleeding?"

"Maybe."

She lifted away her hand and a chill grasped Seto. On her hand and trickling from her leg was not the rivulet of red he expected to see. It was almost a greenish color, and, upon closer inspection, proved to be streams of tiny ones and zeros. Nagusami, however, did not seem at all unnerved. "I'll just wrap it up when we get inside," she said. "It's not bad."

"I'll help you in," said Seto automatically. "But tell me, does everyone here bleed like that?"

She brushed some hair from her eyes. "Yes. Isn't that natural?" She gasped suddenly. "Seto, you're pale! What happened?"

He turned and touched her face gently. "A computer game," he murmured, something horrible stirring in the back of his memories.

"What kind of game?"

They were interrupted suddenly as Jounouchi raced up the gates, completely elated. With him came the news that Mai was expecting their first child, and all thought of technology vanished in the excitement of congratulating the father-to-be and telling everyone else. 

It never occurred to him again through the years, between the birth of Mai and Jounouchi's first and second children. (He made the mistake of going to see Jounouchi before the baby was actually born. Even from the other end of the house, Mai's diatribe made him wish they had painkillers.) Then came Mokuba's engagement to Adina, and Nagusami's own pregnancy. 

In fact, Mokuba and Adina's wedding was set to take place just a month before Nagusami was due. The night before the ceremony, everyone gathered in the great hall for a dinner together in celebration of all that had been and all that was to come. Seto watched his younger brother's face, noting with wonder the adult-like qualities it had taken on. Mokuba now wore his hair just below his shoulders, often pulled back with a leather cord. Adina's, on the contrary, had lengthened nearly to her knees, and she still let it flow freely. Yet the two still looked so much alike that it was easy to imagine how their souls had bonded. 

A little ways down the table, Jounouchi and Mai's three-year-old daughter was chattering happily to Yuugi between heaping mouthfuls. Her six-month-old brother, on the other hand was ignoring everyone else and smearing applesauce on his mother's embroidered sleeve when she wasn't looking. 

Jounouchi stood to make a toast to the bride and groom-to-be, when suddenly the world trembled. Seto remembered faintly how something similar had happened ten years before. Trying to recall what it meant, he froze as dark portals opened around the room. He felt his hand ripped from Nagusami's as a vertical pool of blackness surrounded him, and he was falling…falling…falling…

*

"I finally got it!" yelled Anzu joyfully, plugging the last wire back into its proper place. 


	9. Don't Belong

"Me too," called back Honda. They stood together as the virtual pods lit up again, and the transparent shells lifted. Mokuba, Jounouchi, and Yuugi sat up, blinking and looking bewildered. Mai came running in from the other room. "It was true," she whispered.

"Anzu, Honda," cried Yuugi, memories rushing back. "You don't look a day older!"

Anzu raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Neither do you. You've only been in there for twenty-four hours."

Yuugi looked around. Indeed, Mokuba was eleven again, and he and Jounouchi sixteen. Seto burst in suddenly. They all stared at each other for a moment, silent as death. "It was all just a game," Seto said quietly.

*

He worked for weeks afterwards, trying to get into the game without losing the data. It was all in vain, though. To go back into the virtual world would restart everything, erasing all they had built before.

"I don't get it," said Honda one day, helping Kaiba carry in boxes of tools. "Why is this so important? It's all just electronic data."

Seto didn't have an answer for that. 

*

A month later, the five who had been in the game gathered at Jounouchi's house. 

"I was never unplugged," started Seto with what happened to be on his mind. "I don't understand why I couldn't go back."

"I wonder if there was a rule that said everyone had to come back together," mused Yuugi. 

"Maybe."

Seto glanced at Jounouchi, a glimmer of anger born from sorrow in his eyes. "I don't see why you're so depressed," he snapped. "It's not as if you lost your wife."

"Just because I still have Mai doesn't mean I haven't lost anything," said Jounouchi softly. 

"We lost our children, both of them. We'll never see them again, never listen to their innocent laughter," finished Mai with a slight sob.

"I wasn't in love or anything," put in Yuugi, "but I had a lot of close friends."

There was a flash of light, and Yami sat in Yuugi's place, pale with grief. "It's just like when I was released from the Puzzle," he said with a tremor in his voice. "I wake up to find so many of those close to me gone beyond retrieval and a world so different I cannot bring myself to call it home."

Seto remained rigid in his seat, his face emotionless except for the tear that streaked from his right eye. "Nagusami," was all he said, though his mind was also on their unborn child. 

"I miss Adina," admitted Mokuba. "She was the only girl I ever liked." He was still in shock from being suddenly snapped back from his early twenties to the girls-have-cooties stage in life.

Jounouchi sighed. "The thing is, we're stuck here, but we don't belong."

"What do you mean?" asked Seto. "We came from here."

"But it's not our world any more," said Jounouchi, rising and walking to one of the kitchen drawers. He pulled out a small, sharp knife and returned to his place. "Watch," he said. Carefully, he cut a shallow wound in his forearm. Everyone leaned forward to see what he intended to accomplish by this. Then Mokuba gave a little gasp, summing up the feeling for everyone. Jounouchi nodded gravely. "We're all like this."

The wound was not bleeding, but they could see instead that within him flowed streams of zeros and ones. 

Owari


End file.
